Dryer vent cleaning is an essential part of your at-home cleaning and maintenance routine. It is easy to think that your dryer vent will not accumulate much lint if you regularly clean out the lint trap. In reality, regardless of how often you empty fiber build-up from the front of the dryer, your machine will continue to accumulate large amounts of lint and debris in its vent. Only a dryer vent cleaning service from a trusted professional will completely and safely clean your dryer.

Why Do You Need A Professional Dryer Vent Cleaning?

If your dryer vent air flow is clogged or blocked by debris, there are several ways a dryer vent cleaning can improve your dryer efficiency and your household’s overall safety. Blocked ducts make it very difficult for your dryer to release hot and humid air from the clothing chamber. That air can cause a whole host of problems with your machine, including increasing drying times, raising your laundry room temperature, and putting more overall strain on your dryer. A dryer vent cleaning clears this built-up debris, allowing that air to escape before it causes more issues for you and your machine.

Along with affecting general dryer efficiency, blocked dryer vents pose a serious fire risk. As lint continues to accumulate in your dryer’s system, it could eventually reach the dryer’s heating component. Within seconds, your clogged vents could set ablaze, leaving you, your family, and your valuable belongings exposed to a home fire. This situation is, unfortunately, more common than you may think. According to the National Fire Protection Agency: 

The leading factor contributing to the ignition of home fires involving clothes dryers was failure to clean, accounting for one-third (33%) of dryer fires.

Fire isn’t your only worry when it comes to unclean vents, carbon monoxide also poses its own serious risks. If you own a gas dryer, the hot air exhausted through the dryer vents to the outside of your home may also contain carbon monoxide. Dryer vents clogged with debris allow your gas dryer’s air to release inside of your home, bringing with it varying levels of the dangerous gas. 

Carbon monoxide poisoning is a very real and deadly danger. Symptoms of poisoning often include headache, upset stomach, light-headedness, and confusion. If you own a gas dryer and are experiencing any of these symptoms when running the machine, immediately stop your usage and schedule an inspection with a professional. You may also consider getting an indoor air quality test to confirm the presence of carbon monoxide in your home. 

How to Tell When You Need A Cleaning

When you don't know what to look for, it can be hard to determine when your dryer vents need cleaning. Fortunately, many signs can signal when you have blocked dryer vent air flow. Longer drying times, burning smells, and hot laundry room temperatures are good indicators that you might have a dryer vent issue.

Running your dryer multiple times to get your clothing dry is also one of the most common symptoms dryer owners experience when a vent is blocked. In this case, procuring a cleaning should help protect your clothing from heat damage and increase the speed at which your machine dries. If you are interested in learning more about the symptoms of clogged dryer vents, we put together a list here with more detailed information.

Outside of these occasions, the U.S. Fire Administration recommends having your dryer vents cleaned professionally at least once a year. If you can’t remember the last time you had a dryer vent cleaning or it has been over a year, it’s time to get one scheduled with a local, trusted professional. Similarly for renters, make sure to contact your homeowner or landlord, ask for a record of a recent cleaning, and request a dryer vent cleaning when necessary. One scheduled cleaning a year could be what protects your home and your family from disaster.

Why You Should Never Clean Them Yourself

When researching how to clean dryer vents, you may be tempted to try and clean yours on your own. This is a costly decision, not only for your wallet but the safety of you and your home. With this in mind, here are some reasons why you should never attempt a dryer vent cleaning without a proper professional:

Safety Risk – A poorly planned or faulty amateur cleaning can have disastrous effects if done improperly, doing even more harm than good to your dryer. Without the professional knowledge of how to properly access, clean, and replace the dryer vent, there is a risk that you will hurt yourself or your machine. 

Damaging Dryer System – As dryer vent cleaning requires specific expertise and equipment, there is always a chance that you will cause damage when trying to clean the vent yourself. The cost of a professional cleaning service is significantly cheaper than the cost of replacing a portion of your system (or buying an entirely new dryer).

Compounding Future Risk – Professionals have the resources and training to know when a dryer vent is completely clean. If you do not, chances are high that you will leave a portion of lint or debris behind during your cleaning. These small fragments left behind can build up over time, meaning your future risk of dryer problems is higher than if you would have gotten it done by a professional.

Incorrect Tools – Effective cleanings require dryer vent brushes and high-quality (often expensive) equipment to complete. Professional service technicians own this equipment and bring it with them during cleaning. To achieve similar results, you would have to front the cost of the cleaning tools and learn the correct ways to use them, costing you more time, energy, and money than going with a legitimate service.

Unprofessional Results – No matter how much confidence you have in a DIY vent cleaning, amateur techniques will never measure up to professional results. The only way to ensure a high-quality cleaning that meets the recommended safety standards is by hiring a trusted cleaning service. 

What To Expect From a Professional Dryer Vent Cleaning Service

In the long run, the safest and most affordable way to clean your dryer vent is to hire a trained technician. Generally, you can expect a few things from a professional dryer vent cleaning service. They include:

1. Trained Professionals

Unlike doing it yourself, hiring a trusted company ensures that trained professionals will be doing the work. Many parts in the vent cleaning process require technical knowledge and specific techniques. Dryer vent servicers have undergone years of extensive training and on-the-job experience. They know the little details that can sneak by amateur vent cleaners and the untrained eye. 

For the safety of yourself, your vents, and your home, hiring a professional company is an ideal option. For example, many people do not realize that excessive lint clogging can leave the dryer vent hot to touch, especially after recently running a cycle. Attempting to clean the vent yourself without this background information could result in a burn or injury. In hiring a service, you can rest assured that properly trained technicians who understand the nuances of the job will take care of these issues and your dryer system. 

2. Dryer Vent Knowledge

A trained professional will also know what safety precautions to take and what parts of the system to avoid to keep your dryer in working order. Cleaning dryer vents may seem straightforward, but there are many aspects to the process that need a deeper comprehension. 

Understanding when to remove the power supply, which parts of the vent secretly trap lint, and identifying other problems such as vent hood infestation are all common occurrences for a trained service technician. In general, you can expect a much more knowledgeable cleaning experience when you hire a professional. 

3. Professional Equipment

Another thing you can expect from hiring a professional dryer vent cleaning service is the proper tools and equipment. Experienced technicians start preparing for your service even before entering your home by preparing their tools and donning high-quality PPE (personal protective equipment). These extra steps ensure that the technician and your vents are safe during the entire cleaning process. 

Professional cleaning requires high-powered vacuums, dryer vent brushes, and other top-tier equipment. They are often very expensive for individuals to purchase on their own and have a high learning curve to be able to use them effectively. Trusted dryer vent cleaners bring these tools with them and have undergone the extensive training necessary to operate them safely and efficiently. 

Some dryer vent cleaning professionals may also use duct cleaning cameras to take a deeper look at the inside of your dryer duct during a vent cleaning. This tool allows technicians to see blockages and other vent issues hard to see with the naked eye, preventing future problems. Given this attention to detail, the cost of dryer vent cleaning is certainly worth the time, effort, and expertise that a trusted service provides. 

4. High-Quality Inspection

A dryer vent cleaning professional will also perform a more thorough inspection of your vent. The technicians who handle dryer vents see a lot of different dryer issues daily, making them a helpful source of information about your dryer's vent and the problems you might be experiencing. They can often identify and remedy symptoms of clogged dryer vents, as well as point you in the right direction if the dryer repairs are beyond their scope.  

If they are cleaning your vent hood outside, they might also be able to spot signs of animal nesting or signs that your hood has housed an infestation. This information can help you be more conscious of these issues and let you take steps to prevent them in the future. All in all, having a professional clean your vents helps you identify problems and give you more peace of mind after the cleaning.

How to Find a Dryer Vent Cleaning Professional

If you have decided to hire a professional for your dryer vent cleaning, there are many ways to go about finding the right company in your area. Below are some tips to help in your search:

Do an Online Search – Look for companies in your area that service dryer vents and compare them. Make sure the services they offer match what you are looking for in a company.

Do Your Research – Always look at the user reviews of companies you are interested in. If they have a majority or significant amount of 1-star ratings, it’s probably best to move on.

Schedule a Call – Scheduling a call or consultation with a potential company is always a good move. During this time, you can ask your preliminary questions and learn more about the service you can expect.

Find a Trusted Company – A key part of finding a dryer vent cleaning servicer is ensuring that they are trustworthy and have a good reputation. An important part of any hired service is trust, especially if the person is entering your home or living space.

If you’re currently looking for a top-rated dryer vent cleaning company, look no further than Filterbuy LOCAL - the most trusted name in vent cleaning. Our team is ready to help you and your family with your dryer vent cleaning and air duct cleaning needs. 

We take pride in improving your home's air quality and ensuring the safety of you, your family, and your belongings. Our licensed professionals are trained, knowledgeable, and ready to assist you.

Click here to learn more about Filterbuy LOCAL for dryer vent cleaning.